We deserve betterThis was supposed to be the year for marriage equality and other progressive L.G.B.T. breakthroughs. In Washington, the nation witnessed the historic inauguration of the first African-American president, a compelling, transformational leader who took office voicing the strongest pro-L.G.B.T. agenda in history. In Albany, after 40 years, the Democrats finally were back in control of the state Senate; they offered the promise of enacting three key pieces of legislation that the former Republican leadership had stood in the way of  marriage equality, transgender rights and a school anti-bullying law with protections based on sexual and gender identity.

Visit to Gaza was an assault on sense of justiceBy Joyce Ravitz
When I was growing up, my parents instilled in me the knowledge that Jews were hardworking people who would not stand for injustice. My Jewish education taught me that Jews were obliged to fight against discrimination and other wrongs whenever they occurred. And we met discrimination ourselves.

Bob Cohen, a longtime N.Y.U. liaison, is dead at 78By Albert Amateau
An hour or so after attending a meeting involving the two communities most important to him  the Village and New York University  Bob Cohen died suddenly at home on Mercer St. on Wednesday night July 1 at the age of 78.

Flashback

No buses, no nukes; More lightsThe July 9, 1959, issue of The Villager reported on the start of a 90-day trial of rerouting buses out of Washington Square Park.

Serving West and East Village, Chelsea, SoHo, NoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown and the Lower East Side

The latest design for 1 Seventh Ave. includes a 203-foot-tall tower. The view above is looking east along W. 12th St. from west of Seventh Ave.

New-style benches dont sit well with park regularBy Harry Bartle
The recent renovation of Washington Square Park has been discussed to death over the past month: the newly aligned fountain, reconfigured plaza, expanded lawn spaces. The restoration has some Village residents tearing out their hair and others reaching for their picnic baskets.

Rainforest activists: High Line wood a pour choiceBy Laurie Mittelmann
A soft-spoken East Village activist approached a man sitting on a dense hardwood bench along the High Line last Friday afternoon. She told him there was a piece of the Amazon rainforest beneath him.

Yiddish stars still shine, just less frequently, on 7thBy Bonnie Rosenstock
If the names Maurice Schwartz, Menasha Skolnick, Joseph Buloff, Seymour Rexite and Miriam Kressyn dont ring a bell, you are far from alone. But for members of the aptly named Yiddish Artists and Friends Actors Club, these legendary performers are household names.

Summer in the CityBest Village Bets for July & AugustBy Scott Stiffler
Is there anything sadder than strolling through a NYC street fair  overpriced funnel cake or gyro in hand  while telling yourself youre having a good time?